Construction is officially under way on Stage 1B of the Northern Beaches Community Hub, following a sod turning ceremony held last Friday (July 25).
Mayor Greg Williamson and councillors Heath Paton, Ash-Lee Johnson and Nathenea MacRae were at the construction site to mark this symbolic milestone, ushering in a new era of community infrastructure.
“This is the beginning of something truly transformative for the Northern Beaches,” Mayor Williamson said.
“This sod turning signifies the beginning of tangible progress for a development designed to meet the region’s long-term needs,” he said.
“With our population set to grow to more than 32,000 in the Northern Beaches by 2041, this next stage gets us ahead of the curve on future infrastructure.”
The $21 million Stage 1B tender, awarded to T.F. Woollam & Son Pty Ltd, will deliver:
A modern library serving more than 5600 existing members.
Flexible community rooms for workshops, rehearsals and meetings.
A town square with event space and seating for outdoor cinema nights and festivals.
A café space and undercover car park.
A Changing Places facility for people with disabilities.
Woollam Constructions Managing Director Craig Percival said his local team were confident of delivering a successful project that residents would be proud of.
“Mackay has a great resource pool of contract partners and tradespeople and it’s great to see council’s tender process put significant weight on the use of local businesses,” Mr Percival said.
“These projects really support the local construction industry, which in turn benefits Mackay,” he said.
“The talent we have here is exceptional – I’ve got a view that people who have businesses in the construction industry in regional areas like Mackay are as good as, or better than, those in the capital cities because we don’t have easy access to bulk materials.
“We’ve got to be organised, we’ve got to communicate, we’ve got to work together – and that’s something that we do very well.”
The Australian Government committed $6.5 million of the estimated $10 million cost to establish Stage 1A and has committed $15 million under the Growing Regions Program Round 1 for Stage 1B of the Northern Beaches Community Hub.
Construction on Stage 1B is now officially under way, with completion expected by December 2026.
For ongoing updates and to view the master plan, visit connectingmackay.com.au.
Cr Nathenea MacRae, Cr Ash-Lee Johnson, Mayor Greg Williamson and Cr Heath Paton were at the site of Northern Beaches Community Hub 1B to officially mark the start of construction
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